Breaking

Lady Fest 2018 and Feeling Better

On June 17th I went to one of the Ladyfest shows for 2018. I was pretty upset around this time, mostly about money. I had applied to over 250 jobs, got a job as a dishwasher that was unclearly a one-time thing, opened new credit cards to pay for rent, and even made a GoFundMe to try and raise money for my expenses. It really wasn't looking good. I got especially bummed when someone left a rude comment for me on the GoFundMe telling me to get a job when I had been trying to do so since February. A month or so after, I got a job at a coffee shop and am now working in an IT position. I just have to wake up early, but I'm not doomed.

On June 17th, the forecast was still doom and gloom. I went to the show anyway because my partner and I were both excited to go. I saw my friend Racheal outside, and she put me on the guestlist after I told her my story about the GoFundMe and everything. I was really angry about the negative comment and made some very negative remarks about the person who left it which made Racheal feel bad too. She still helped me though. I'm glad she was willing to do that for me; it was a big help to know that someone cares.

When I came in, the Alice Bag Band was coming to the end of their set with just a few songs left. Surprisingly, I'm not familiar with her work, though I have read about her before. I generally know less about Californian punk stuff than New York or the Midwest. The band was really cool, with great playing and a good sound that shot forward with force and an element of jaggedness. Alice Bag was really amazing. She was really loud and powerful and positive. I can't remember the exact song she played or what she said, but I remember feeling very emotional and starting to cry. It also made me feel a lot better to hear her, even if I can't remember what it was.

Next was Aloe, and this was their last show. I saw them many times before this, so it was nothing new to me. It was still a really great set, one of their best. The vocals were clear and the playing was tight with more noisy guitar work than before.

Blak Rapp Madusa was awesome. I was excited to go to Ladyfest to see her set in particular, and it did not disappoint. She played a song about not letting people get the best of you, not letting people see you in a rage because of something they said. That made me feel so much better about that stupid situation with the GoFundMe person. The whole set was pretty awesome though

Finally, before I left, I was able to see The Lopez. The last few times I have seen them, I felt that they have gone on for a bit long. Not so much here, and the songs were fast and energetic. It was a return to form. I love their high energy noisy garage punk/electro style.

I wish I could have seen more of Ladyfest, but I was tired that night. I didn't go to any of the other shows, but the Sunday show looked excellent as well; I have stuff I have to do each Sunday afternoon with some friends, so getting there was not really possible without letting a lot of other people down. I hope all of the shows went well.

Speaking of letting people down, I know that I have let my readers down. I've been super anxious and busy in the last few months, hence the summer break. I also misplaced a few SD cards or at least the files on them, including things from this show. While I still haven't found the missing files, it was good to finally write this article. I'll be making weekly posts again now that things have settled down. Thanks for reading.